I grew up watching the NFL Films so I find that $#!# fascinating (to borrow a phrase from Dennis Hopper in True Romance). This week’s 8RV has random retro postseason videos of the four NFL teams still playing, and feature Jimmy The Greek, mud wrestling, Joe Gibbs on his knees, Jason Williams, and, of course, the end of Super Bowl III. (For the conference championship game schedule, click here.)

The first minute or two of this video has Jimmy The Greek (previously in 8RV1) narrating and interviewing New Orleans fans in advance of the first Saints playoff game. It also features Jim Mora, Brent Musberger, Pat Summerall and John Madden, and the first play from scrimmage — Rickey Jackson busting in on Tommy Kramer. Tommy Kramer was apparentlly the BEST QUARTERBACK IN THE LEAGUE IN 1986. Who knew?

With both championship games this weekend indoors, there’s no chance we’ll see the muddy mayhem these two teams endured as they fought for the right to face John Riggins and the Redskins in Super Bowl XVII. (For the 1983 NFC Championship, see 8RV9). I miss the old green Jets uniforms. And maybe Freeman McNeil, Richard Todd and Miami’s Killer Bee defense.

I will continue to live in the past until the Redskins rise again. I’m not sure exactly how old I was, but for some reason we were watching this game in a hotel room, and I think when I saw Joe Gibbs go to his knees, I did too. This is the same Vikings team that blew out the Saints two weeks before, then helped the Redskins out by beating the Montana/Rice 49ers in San Francisco. The 11-4 Redskins beat the Doug Flutie-led Bears at Soldier Field, thanks to a Darrell Green punt return TD in which he hurdled over a defender and pulled a hamstring. It all came down to this 4th down play….

If you watched all the way to the end, then you got to see the best bloody owner in the history of professional sports, Jack Kent Cooke.

4. 1999 NFC Championship: Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings

I noticed ESPN was running this game as one of NFL Films Greatest Games, and I remembered so little about it. John Elway tends to spoil things that way. I had forgotten Randall Cunningham led the Vikings to a 15-1 record that year. That Randy Moss has been around that long (1998 was his rookie year). Cris Carter was on this team and the 1987 Vikings squad. I’m not sure I would have been able to come up with Chris Chandler’s name, but I can think of a lot of worse quarterbacks who have played in Super Bowls since 1999. Morten Anderson kicked in this game, and for the Saints in the 1988 game.

5. Vikings Going To Miami Song

That awful Broncos-Falcons Super Bowl was played in Miami — inspiring this Minnesota radio station to make this song. I was expecting something more polka-ish.

6. Randy Moss & Cris Carter commercial

7. Randy Moss & Jason Williams Commercial

I’d also forgotten that Randy Moss and Jason Williams went to the same high school. That Sacramento team the year after Jordan Retirement II was so much fun to watch with Williams and Chris Webber and Vlade.

This is the NBC telecast of the end of Super Bowl III. One thing that surprised me watching it is how low key the Jets are when the final gun goes — for such a huge upset, there’s surprisingly little show of emotion as they leave the field.